The last dance: Dan McKellar enters final year as ACT Brumbies coach

This is his last roll of the dice at the ACT Brumbies. His last chance to add another Super Rugby title to the resume. The last dance.

The Brumbies coach will never be one to make himself the centre of attention, but his final year at the club looms as an intriguing subplot during a campaign that kicks off against the Western Force at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

McKellar is widely-regarded as a Test coach in the making and will join Dave Rennie's Wallabies set-up in a full-time capacity as the Australian team's forwards coach at season's end.

But first comes Super Rugby Pacific. It is a new era for the competition, pitting Australian sides against their New Zealand counterparts and a pair of new additions in the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika.

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McKellar enters the new year on a mission. Super Rugby AU winners in 2020, the Brumbies lost last year's domestic decider and limped through the Trans-Tasman iteration of the competition with a battered and bruised playing roster.

The highly-fancied Kiwis again stand in the Brumbies' way, but McKellar is adamant his squad can beat anyone as he enters a new campaign that feels unlike any other.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel a little different, it does," McKellar said.

"I've just been so fortunate to work for the Brumbies for nine years. Knowing that is quickly coming to an end is sad, but you just park those thoughts and just focus on what's important. That's making sure, in my role, I help prepare the boys as best as possible to start the season well.

"If we do that and build some momentum early on, we give ourselves a chance to enjoy it and create some special memories along the way.

"The attitude and approach doesn't change. We spoke about the changes we made to our pre-season training, but it's a new season and whilst there were some good things to come out of 2021, at the end of the day, we were disappointed.

"We're keen to start 2022 on a really positive note and try to achieve something special together as a team. For this group, it's the last time to do it."

McKellar's family once made "an incredible sacrifice", uprooting their lives to move to Canberra so he could coach full-time when the Tuggeranong Vikings came calling for someone to lead their John I Dent Cup side in 2010.

Four years later McKellar was in the Brumbies set-up as an assistant to Stephen Larkham. At season's end they will come full circle, with Larkham returning from Ireland to fill the void left by McKellar in Canberra.

McKellar's first taste of coaching at Test level last year made for a gruelling campaign, but one that left him reinvigorated for the task at hand with the Brumbies.

"The Wallaby experience was really enjoyable. You pick up new things and new ideas and understand that we do things at the Brumbies pretty well," McKellar said.

"I took a few things the Brumbies did into that environment as well. Every experience is a positive one, you always learn from them, and I feel better for it.

"Whilst it was a long year last year, I was away from the Brumbies for pretty much five or six months. As soon as I walked through the doors in January, I was excited to be back and to work with this group of staff and players to go about achieving something together.

"I've certainly had a good break and feel refreshed and excited for this group to get started."

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND ONE

Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Western Force at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets from Ticketek. Broadcast live on Stan Sport.

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